BmoreArt

This Week: We are featuring online events that you can participate in from the comfort of your own couch plus a few ways to get involved locally and nationally. Stay home, stay healthy, stay engaged in the arts.

BmoreArt’s Picks presents the best weekly art openings, events, and performances happening in Baltimore and surrounding areas. For a more comprehensive perspective, check the BmoreArt Calendar page, which includes ongoing exhibits and performances, and is updated on a daily basis.

To submit your calendar event, email us at [email protected]!

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We’ll send you our top stories of the week, selected event listings, and our favorite calls for entry—right to your inbox every Tuesday.

Share Your COVID Story
hosted by The Peale

Talk to us about life in Baltimore. How are you and your neighbors dealing with extended quarantine?

These are times that won’t soon be forgotten by those living through 2020, but fast forward ten years, twenty years, or more – how will future generations recall or reflect on the pandemic or on the protests inspiring change across the country? The Peale wants to document your story about living in Baltimore during these challenging times. All stories are important, no matter who you are or where you live. We want to help make sure the whole story of Baltimore is told.

There are three ways to contribute a story:

Call the story hotline: 1-833-TEL-STRY

Visit our website

Download our free app for iPhone

BFSFF 2020 Legacy | Call for Volunteers
sponsored by Black Femme Supremacy Film Festival

Hello BFSFF Family!
Our 2020 festival is fast approaching! It will be held virtually from September 4-6. We are looking for volunteers to help us ensure that our first virtual festival runs smoothly.
Please click on the button below to sign up!
Thank you for your continued support.

Volunteer Sign Up

Portraits and People | Call for Entry
deadline/drop-off September 13
presented by Towson Arts Collective

Portraits & People celebrates the human face and figure. This is open to interpretation. Representational, abstract, and realism are welcome! As well as any 2-D and 3-D media.

Current members: $10 for entry of 1-2 pieces, must fit in a 3′ x 2′ space, or $25 for entry of up to 6 pieces, must fit within a 6′ x 6′ space

New members & renewing members: $25 includes 1 year membership fee and entry of up to 6 pieces

New student members and renewing student members: $15 includes 1 year membership fee and entry of up to 6 pieces

Click for entry form

2021 Rising Star Performing Arts Competition
deadline October 1
sponsored by Howard County Arts Council

Applications for the 2021 Rising Star Performing Arts Competition are now available hocoarts.org/risingstars. The early no-fee application deadline is October 1, 2020. Applications submitted between October 2 and the final deadline of November 1, 2020 must be accompanied by a $10 application fee.

The Rising Star Performing Arts Competition is open to performers, both individuals and ensembles (with a maximum of four members), ages 18-35, who live, train, work, or perform in Howard County or have done so in the past. Review criteria include artistic expression, technical ability, and stage presence. Up to ten selected finalists will receive a $300 honorarium to perform at the Arts Council’s annual benefit gala, the Celebration of the Arts in Howard County, to be held in the spring of 2021. The event audience, consisting of artists, arts patrons, business and political representatives, and other community members will vote for their favorite performer, and the winner of the popular vote will receive the $5,000 Rising Star Performing Arts Award.

The Howard County Arts Council is a private, non-profit organization that serves Howard County by fostering the arts, artists, and arts organizations. The Rising Star Performing Arts Award was established by the Arts Council in 2003 to provide opportunities for emerging performing artists with roots in Howard County and to assist them in the development and practice of their art. The goals of the Rising Star award are: to encourage professional development in all performing arts disciplines, to recognize individual achievement in the performing arts, to support performing artists with strong ties to Howard County, and to provide a venue for artists through a performance of award finalists.

For more information and eligibility requirements, call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit hocoarts.org.

General Exhibit Applications | Call for Entry
deadline October 1
sponsored by Howard County Arts Council

Artists wishing to be considered for an exhibit in the Howard County Arts Council (HCAC) galleries are invited to submit a general exhibit application. The HCAC Exhibits Committee meets quarterly to review applications and select artists for the exhibit space. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. The Committee also welcomes proposals from curators and organizations.

For detailed entry guidelines, visit hocoarts.submittable.com/submit or email [email protected]. The next deadline for submissions is October 1, 2020.

HCAC manages two galleries at the Howard County Center for the Arts with over 2,100 square feet of exhibit space. The HCAC gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists.

HCAC presents 11-12 exhibits per year of national, regional, and local artists, including two-person, small and large group, juried, curated, and community shows.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, gallery hours may be subject to change. For current gallery hours, or to learn more about HCAC programs and exhibits, call 410-313-ARTS (2787) or visit hocoarts.org.

Art Sound Now: Landis Expandis
Tuesday, August 18 • 5-5:30 p.m.
hosted by The Walters Art Museum

Baltimore musician and performer Landis Expandis brings his talents to our Art Sound Now series with the performance LHL. Landis Expandis creates videos and concerts about the world around him, blending funk, soul, electro, and hip hop into his music. In this program, Landis, along with his bandmates Harry and Larry, takes us on a virtual tour of some of the Walters Art Museum’s galleries.

Landis Expandis has been mixing visual art with music all of his life but focused on music as a career after postponing his art degree. He is a prolific area DJ who fronted the band All Mighty Senators for over 25 years. He still plays with the group and has formed the trio F City. A majority of the promotional materials feature his distinct graphic design, which has become an integral part of his musical persona.

Changing Landscapes
Tuesday, August 22 • 6 p.m.
hosted by C. Grimaldis Gallery

In conjunction with C. Grimaldis Gallery’s 43rd annual group exhibition, Summer ’20, we would like to present Changing Landscapes, a conversation between artists Rania Matar, Alfonso Fernandez, and Ben Marcin. This talk will focus on socioeconomic politics, global displacement, and the artist’s role in capturing important moments in history.

As the world moves through waves of change, Matar, Fernandez, and Marcin use creativity as a platform to push the idea that the person is the political. Documentary photographs by Rania Matar depict young Syrian refugees on the streets of Beirut, bringing light to the reality of youth existing invisibly within a country unable to embrace them. In an investigation of blurring borders, balancing cultures, and an individual’s handling of forced assimilation, Alfonso Fernandez creates paintings which combine abstract and figurative content to understand both the world around him and painting itself. And Ben Marcin creates photographic essays which address architectural structures that are radically influenced by American culture, both those meant to exist in isolation and those forced into standing alone due to major demographic and social changes.

Please join us on Tuesday, August 18th at 6 p.m. on Zoom for this virtual conversation. We look forward to your presence and participation!

Art in August: Virtual Artist Café | Monica Ikegwu & Akea Brionne Brown
Tuesday, August 18 • 7-8 p.m.
Emerging Artists from the Artscape Online Artists’ Market
Thursday, August 20 • 7-8 p.m.
presented by BOPA

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces Art in August, a month-long celebration of art experiences featuring Artist Pop-Up Exhibitions, the B2020 Virtual Exhibition, the Virtual Artist Café, and Saturday Night Virtual DJs. These programs will lead up to and occur during the previously announced Artscape Online Artists’ Market, which will open for business virtually from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 30, 2020.

From cocktails to canvases, curation to couture, everything is open for discussion in the Virtual Artist Café. The Artist Café is a virtual artist talk series featuring conversations between favorite local and national artists. The series will feature four artist talks, including participants from the Artscape Online Artists’ Market.

Tuesday, August 18, 7-8 p.m.
Baltimore-based artists Monica Ikegwu (featured on Oprah Winfrey Network’s Cherish the Day, produced by Oscar-nominated Ava DuVernay) & Akea Brionne Brown (2019 Sondheim Artscape Prize winner); Moderator: Angela N. Carroll, Artist-Archivist (BmoreArt, Baltimore Magazine, Stevenson University.)

Thursday, August 20, 7-8 p.m.
Emerging Artists from the Artscape Online Artists’ Market (To Be Announced)

Tuesday, August 25, 7-8 p.m.
Acclaimed Baltimore-based artist Stephen Towns in conversation with International Curator and ARTNOIR Co-Founder, Larry Ossei-Mensah.

Thursday, August 27, 7-8 p.m.
In the Atelier w/ Bishme Cromartie (American fashion designer from Baltimore and Project Runway Finalist).

Instagram Live studio visit with Schroeder Cherry
Wednesday, August 19 • 12:30pm
hosted by BmoreArt

Staff Writer & Connect+Collect Gallery Coordinator Teri Henderson will facilitate a virtual studio visit with Schroeder Cherry, one of the featured artists in Issue 09:Craft.

Dr. Schroeder Cherry, a native of Washington, DC, is now a Baltimore-based artist and 2019 Sondheim competition finalist who captures everyday scenes of African American life, often set in barbershops and utilizing repurposed materials. He has worked in seven museums across the US, including The Art Institute of Chicago; Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Museum; Studio Museum of Harlem; J.Paul Getty Museum; The Baltimore Museum of Art; and Maryland Historical Society.  He has held senior grantmaker positions at Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, first as Deputy Director of Museums, and later Counselor to the Director. He currently teaches museum studies at Morgan State University.

Artscape Online Artists’ Market
Friday, August 21 | Ongoing through August 30
hosted by BOPA

The annual Artscape Artists’ Market will be held virtually from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 30, 2020. This digital opportunity will support artists, performers, makers and craftspeople across all artistic disciplines by providing a virtual platform for artist storefronts. Artists from any geographical area are encouraged to apply. Applications for the Artscape Online Artists’ Market are available here and due by Friday, July 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

Artscape, Baltimore’s largest and most beloved annual arts festival, was originally scheduled for July 17-19, 2020. Due to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, large events throughout Baltimore City have been cancelled this summer. While the festival’s cancellation is disappointing, it is not devastating. In addition to the Artscape Online Artists’ Market, BOPA will highlight Artscape virtually through social media with photos and trivia during the original dates of the festival (July 17-19, 2020). BOPA continues to support the creative community throughout the summer with these virtual initiatives to keep the Artscape spirit alive.

The Artscape Online Artists’ Market will feature an online directory of up to 75​ artists, where they can showcase, promote and sell their artistry (featuring visual arts, performing arts, literary arts and culinary arts.) This initiative is presented as free to artists, with no application fee, no participation fee and no percentage of sales taken. The Artscape Online Artists’ Market is a juried show, and applications will be scored by a panel of professionals in the fields of craft, fine art, fashion and design.

The Institute for Counterfeit Memory
Saturday, August 22
presented by The Acme Corporation

The Acme Corporation, Baltimore’s premiere experimental theatre company, has created a new play that gets sent to audience members at their homes. The Institute for Counterfeit Memory chronicles the creation of false worlds using an mp3 player, diagrams, and small props. The piece asks the audience to imagine what we’ve missed over the past 5 months, and to turn our attention to what’s happening in front of us.
Acme Corporation artistic director Lola B. Pierson, who wrote and directed “Best of Baltimore” winning plays Follow No Strangers to The Fun Places, Office Ladies, Stranger Kindness, and The World is Round, directed “Best of Baltimore” winning productions of Kaspar and Play, and wrote and directed the critically acclaimed opera The First Thing That Happens will direct, write, and design.

The Institute for Counterfeit Memory
Text, direction and visual design by Lola B. Pierson
Sound Design: Cricket Arrison
Starring: Kaya Vision, Molly Cohen, Bob Norman, and Megan Livingston

World premiere

WHEN: First boxes go on sale August 22, 2020. More boxes will be released throughout the fall.
Runtime approximately 20 minutes
WHERE: At your house.
TICKETS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Tickets: $10-$50, sliding scale

Web: theacmecorporation.org
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @AcmeCorpTheatre
Instagram: @theacmecorporation

Free Writing Workshop
Saturday, August 22 • 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
hosted by Brown Sugar Bake-Off Festival

Brown Sugar Bake-Off FREE Playwriting Workshop
Led by Dr. Nae Phillips and Christen Cromwell

strand-theater.org/brown-sugar-bake-off.html

Our upcoming Brown Sugar Bake-Off Festival is open to Black Womxn writers in the Baltimore community and beyond. We understand that there may be some who would like to participate in the Festival but may not know where to begin. Or, perhaps they want a refresher on how to write a short play. This free workshop is designed for you.

Interested in joining the workshop? Please email [email protected] to reserve your spot.
Zoom login information will be shared closer to the workshop date.

Rock Opera 101, Part 2: Onto the Stage
Saturday, August 22 • 7-8 p.m.
hosted by Baltimore Rock Opera Society

Baltimore Rock Opera Society Presents: Rock Opera 101, Part 2: Onto the Stage.

“Black music and with it the private black self were suddenly grossly public—tossed onstage, dressed in clown white, and bandied about with a gleeful arrogance that just yesterday had chosen to ignore and condescend.” – Margo Jefferson

Rock Opera 101 returns for the second concert in our three-part concert series about racism in rock music. In this performance, Jonathan and his band will delve into the origins of rock opera and rock theater. In the 1960s and 70s, diversity was beginning to come to the Broadway stage. Shows like Hair, The Wiz, and Raisin were bringing Black creativity into the theater and earning broad acclaim, but unfortunately, the Black performers, musicians, and writers rarely received recognition. Here, we will attempt to give them some of the credit they deserve.

UPCOMING ROCK OPERA 101:

Date TBA: Rock Opera 101, Part 2: Talkback Panel – A live discussion with the creators of Rock Opera 101 and Black performers that will more deeply explore the issues presented in Part 2 in a revealing and educational discussion.

Thursday, September 10th – Into The Future, where we examine current trends and extrapolate a future for rock theater. We look at contributions from LGBTQ creators, Latinx creators, and other groups who are finding their voice in rock opera.

We hope that you will accompany us on this journey through rock history!

For sponsorship opportunities, please email Development Director Naomi Davidoff at [email protected].

This event is free for all, but we suggest you please consider a donation to one of the following sources:

Baltimore Rock Opera Society – baltimorerockopera.org/support/donate

Campaign Zero – joincampaignzero.org

To become a Rock Opera 101 sponsor, visit baltimorerockopera.org/sponsor-rockopera101

Art in August: Artist Pop-Up Series | AMBROSE
Sunday, August 23 • 1-3 p.m.
hosted by BOPA

The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) announces Art in August, a month-long celebration of art experiences featuring Artist Pop-Up Exhibitions, the B2020 Virtual Exhibition, the Virtual Artist Café, and Saturday Night Virtual DJs. These programs will lead up to and occur during the previously announced Artscape Online Artists’ Market, which will open for business virtually from Friday, August 21 to Sunday, August 30, 2020.

Artist Pop-Up Series
The Artist Pop-Up Exhibitions are a series of outdoor galleries providing the opportunity for artists to show their work, expand their network, and generate sales while offering a safe and socially distanced gallery experience outdoors. The artists participating are AMBROSE, Marie Amegah, Italo De Dea, McKinley Wallace III, and Will Watson. The exhibitions take place each Sunday in August at 1706 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201 from 1 PM to 3 PM in collaboration with Hot Sauce Artist Collective.  BOPA thanks Theatre Parking, Inc. for partnering to temporarily transform the parking lot into an outdoor art space with the Artist Pop-Up Exhibitions on Sundays.

AMBROSE is an emerging artist from Western North Carolina with roots in Florida. She is a self-taught painter and seamstress who received her BA in African-American Studies from Yale College in 2018, concentrating in arts & culture. She has extensive experience as a teaching artist working with youth and in the community. Her experience in the liberation movement and social justice spaces across the South continues to inform her praxis as a Black, queer, southern artist who strives to create work that heals, transforms and makes a tangible impact for Black and Indigenous people and communities.